Nagpur: Former State Energy Minister and BJP MLC Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday said that the Supreme Court has given a clear direction that the Prabhag structure existing before March 10, 2022 should be maintained while conducting elections to Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations. But the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government disregarded the Supreme Court and increased the number of members for the election of these institutions. “I have made a demand to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today to cancel this number of members and keep the number of members of the 2017 election,” he added.
“The MVA Government had increased the number of members in Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations. It is usually wrong to rely on population estimates for this,” Bawankule said. He alleged that the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government had increased the number of members illegally. Based on the population of 2011, the number of Municipalities, Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti was decided. Membership cannot be increased unless the population figures are available as per 2021 census, the BJP leader stated.
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Bawankule further said that this matter was pointed out to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today. It is requested that the increased number of members should be cancelled. “How the Election Commission allowed to increase the number of members, why they did not object to it, is a mystery. It has been demanded that the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister should take an immediate decision on this and maintain the number of members fixed as per the population of 2011,” he demanded.
The Supreme Court’s orders dated May 4, 2022 and July 20, 2022 said that the Prabhag structure existing before March 10, 2022 should be maintained while conducting the elections. It is clear that if the ward structure prior to March 10, 2022 is to be maintained, then the structure that existed in 2017 should be maintained, Bawankule stressed. “But the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government changed the ward structure, ward method, and number of members. Therefore, the elections of Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti, Municipal Corporation, should be held as per the status before 10 March 2022, the increased number of members should be reduced. Increasing membership is wrong. Wrong elections should not be held, even if it is delayed for two months, but elections should be held as per rules,” he said and hoped that the Chief Minister will review the matter and take a decision.
Why sudden ‘love’ for Vidarbha by Ajit Pawar?
“Ajit Pawar is the Leader of Opposition. It is his right to inspect flood affected areas of Vidarbha. But why sudden ‘love’ for Vidarbha?, Vidarbha, Marathwada, North Maharashtra development statutory bodies should not be dissolved, demanded in the legislature. They stopped the statutory boards. Now he is going to the farmers. His government did not pay the compensation for 2022, 2021. But I believe that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ Government will provide more help to the farmers than the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government. Both will play Twenty20 matches for the next two years and make Maharashtra number one,” Bawankule said.
Bawankule takes a dig at Sanjay Raut:
Bawankule said that MP Sanjay Raut and MVA leaders have no moral right to ask about the Cabinet expansion. He initially ran a government of few ministers for 32 days. No decision was taken. The Eknath Shinde-Fadnavis Government took 32 decisions in 32 days. Both of them are taking stock of the state every day. Raut does not sleep, dreams during the day. The people of the state are now tired of him because of his daily talk,” Bawankule said sarcastically.
“There is no point in saying that the government will fall. They should talk less, play the role of the Opposition party,” he said.
